Erickson



L. ERICKSON Jan. 24, 1956 READILY REPOSITIONABLE SLIDABLE JAW WRENCHFiled Aug. 18, 1952 BYZ/ 4/ A'TmR/l/Eys' United States Patent READILYREPOSITIGNABLE SLIDABLE JAW RENCH Leonard Erickson, Grand Rapids, Minn.

Application August 18, 1952, Serial No. 304,965 4 Claims. (Cl. 81-53)This invention relates to quick-action wrenches for turning nuts,fittings or other elements having pairs of diametrically arrangedflatted surfaces for gripping.

It is an object of my present invention to provide an may be quicklyturned for tightening or loosening through reciprocating swingingmovement of the wrench handle in much the manner of application oftorque to a ratchet wrench.

and rugged wrench may be produced at low cost, which will enable anoperator to by fast, reciprocating swinging actions, tighten or loosen anut or other object to be turned.

throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing my invention applied portion mountedin the head of the wrench upon a stub shaft 15. The head Portion 12 isrecessed as at 12a t accommodate the screw gear and at least one of theide tast s. of head por ion 12 is cut away as shown in Fig. 1 to exposethe knurled spiral edge of the gear to facilitate hand or fingerapplication of torque thereto to facili at djustment of h j 13. All ofthe parts descr bed to this point are of conventional construction n Ces ent wren he and conseq ntly, no more detailed desc intiq is th ughnec ssary- The adjustable jaw 13 of the wrench is provided at its inneredge with a relatively short gripping surface 13a extending from theouter extremity of the jaw inwardly an being @ppQse o th g ippingsurface a at the nature which will withstand hard wear of flexing.

gripping surface.

The novel operation and cooperative functioning of the essentialelements of my improved wrench is illustrated Figs. 1 to 3. In Fig. l,the in dotted. lines is position, as shown, through to the full lineposition of Fig. 1 firmly engaged upon opposite nut. In the applicationoftorque,

having been turned from th approximately 45 where the wrench is edges ofthe square ing and resisting this thrust movement and suddendisengagement, of the nut. In the positional rela- Fig. 2, it will bewith the slight forward and longitudinal thrust component exertedthereon brings the wrench into the relationship with the nut illustratedin Fig. 3. Here it will be seen that a corner and marginal portion ofthe nut is now fully accommodated in the recess 13b while the outer endof spring 16 is engaging against one of the corners of the nut at thesame time the adjacent lower corner of the nut is disposed within therecess just inwardly of the shoulder 13c. Slight additional upwardswinging of the wrench from the position shown in Fig. 3 through guidingpressure supplied by spring 16 causes the gripping surfaces 10a and 13ato be aligned with two of the flatted surfaces of the nut and the wrenchnaturally assumes its new torque-applying position with the nut thenpositioned squarely against and between the gripping surfaces 10a and13a.

From the foregoing description, in connection with the drawings, it willbe seen that the successive stages of the operation are almostautomatically brought about by the upward or counterclockwise swingingof the wrench from the position shown in Fig. 1. It is natural inswinging the wrench to impart slight forward longitudinal thrust in theswinging movement so that actually in operation my a wrench may beswingably reciprocated upon a nut without exercise of care as to preciseengagement of the nut or piece turned, to produce in suchreciprocations, a step by step turning of the piece either fortightening or loosening purposes.

When a nut is to be loosened (assuming the thread to be a right handthread) the wrench is reversed or turned upside down from the positionshown in the drawings and disposed with the gripping surface 13aengaging the top flatted surface of the nut.

In Fig. my invention is illustrated as applied to a conventional type ofmonkey Wrench, the lower portion of the handle being broken away. Themonkey wrench has an elongated handle 18 provided with thelongitudinally extending, diminished square post 18a projectingtherefrom upon the outer end of which is rigidly afiixed the upperstationary jaw 19. This jaw as shown has a straight inner edge 19a whichat its forward portion constitutes a gripping surface. The lower jaw 20is slidably but nonrotatively mounted upon post 18a having a squaredbore 2001 which slidably engages said post. Adjustment of jaw 20 iseffected in conventional manner by a screw 21 which has threadedengagement with a tapped socket extending longitudinally of the handleand formed in the head portion of jaw 20. Screw 21 at its lowerextremity is journaled in a bearing 18a provided by handle 18 andadjacent said lower extremity a knurled collar 21a is affixed tofacilitate turning of the adjustment screw.

The adjustment jaw 20 at its inner or upper longitudinal edge isprovided with a relatively short gripping surface 20b extending from theouter extremity of the jaw inwardly for a short distance and opposed insubstantially parallel relationship to the gripping surface 19a of thefixed jaw. Immediately thereafter at the interior edge of jaw 20 arelatively deep, curved recess Me is formed of similar shape to therecess 13b in the form of the invention first described, said recessdefining a corner, shoulder or fulcrum 20d at the rear end of thegripping surface. A leaf spring 22 of high resiliency and substantiallyidentical in all respects with the spring 16 of the Crescent wrenchfirst described, is anhcored at its lower end in the intermediateportion of jaw 20 where the recess 20c is formed having its free outerend curved slightly and disposed normally somewhat above and somewhatrearwardly of the shoulder 20d.

The function and operation of the cooperating parts of the wrench shownin Fig. 5 is precisely similar to the function of the corresponding orsimilar parts of the wrench shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

I From the foregoing description, it Will be seen that I have provided asimple, highly eflicient, quick-action wrench adapted to apply torque toand turn a nut or simi- A as lar element in quick, successive stages andthrough reciproeating swinging of the handle in the manner of a ratchetwrench. My structure adds exceedingly little expense to the cost ofconventional adjustable wrenches now in use; provides a more rugged anddurable structure than ratchet wrenches in use and is adapted toaccommodate nuts or fittings of various types and varying in diametricaldimensions within range of adjustment of conventional wrenches now inuse.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in theform, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts withoutdeparting from the scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. A quick-action wrench comprising a stationary jaw and an adjustablejaw, said jaws having rigid opposing gripping surfaces at the inneredges thereof, a handle con nected with said jaws for applying torque toa nut or other object to he turned, one of said jaws having formed alongits inner edge, contiguous to and inwardly of its said gripping surface,an open recessed portion adapted to accommodate at least the marginalportion of a nut or other object to be turned and a single, resilient,yieldable element anchored in said recessed portion of said lastmentioned jaw and extending inwardly therefrom in the direction of saidopposed jaw and adapted to engage the rear portion of a nut and toyieldingly resist displacement of the wrench in a direction toaccommodate a portion of the nut in said recess whereby a nut may beturned through an are by swinging of said handle and then with thereverse swinging movement of said handle and simultaneous slight outwardlongitudinal thrust thereof in opposition to said resilient element, thewrench may be swung relative to said nut with said recess accommodatinga portion of said nut and brought into a new torqueapplying positionwith said gripping surfaces then operatively engaging said nut.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 wherein said resilient, yieldableelement comprises a leaf spring anchored in said recessed portion of oneof said jaws and normally extending generally towards the grippingsurface of the opposite jaw in a position behind and above the grippingsurface of the jaw wherein it is anchored.

3. A quick action wrench comprising a stationary jaw provided with agripping surface at its inner edge, a handle structure rigidly connectedwith said stationary jaw, an adjustable jaw non-rotatively connectedwith said handle structure and having at its inner edge, a relativelyshort gripping surface opposed to the gripping surface of saidstationary jaw and having contiguous to and inwardly of said grippingsurface a deeply recessed, open portion adapted to accommodate at leastthe marginal portion of a nut or other object to be turned and aresilient element anchored in the recessed portion of said adjustablejaw and extending inwardly therefrom in the direction of said opposedjaw and having a free end disposed normally in a position above andinwardly of the gripping surface of said adjustable jaw and adapted toengage the rear portion of a nut and to yieldingly resist displacementof the wrench to accommodate a portion of the nut in said recess wherebywith said recessed portion, said cooperative gripping surfaces may beengaged with opposite sides of a nut, the nut turned through an are byswinging of said handle and then with a reverse swinging movement ofsaid handle and simultaneous outward longitudal thrust thereof inopposition to the resistance of said resilient element, the wrench maybe swung relative to said nut with said recess accommodating a portionof said nut and brought into a new torque-applying position with saidgripping surfaces then engaging two different opposite edges of saidnut.

4. The structure set forth in claim 3 wherein said recess defines withthe inner end of the gripping surface of said adjustable jaw, a shoulderoperating as a fulcrum between a flatted surface of a nut or the likeand said adjustable jaw when the wrench is swung backwardly forengagement in a new torque-applying position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS WordenJuly 14, 1903 Aube Apr. 6,1915 Dobbins Dec. 14, 1920 IVIHH Oct. 20, 192510 De Graw Oct. 9, 1945 Watson May 10, 1949 Yavner Apr. 15, 1952 McCombMar. 3, 1953 Mize et a1. Apr. 21, 1953 Murphy Oct. 13, 1953 FOREIGNPATENTS Great Britain of 1908 Sweden May 27, 1941

